Spring Arrival Dates

Compiled by Bill Purcell

Since active records have been kept in locally there have been two publications, from Rice Creek Field Station in 1978 and the more recent “City Cemeteries to Boreal Bogs” which listed Spring Arrival dates. Both are now out of print and unavailable to newer birders as are several lists passed around by members of Onondaga Audubon at one time or another. This is an attempt to give birders, especially those with only several years of experience, an idea of when to expect spring migrants. Each month was divided into four weeks, imperfect, but better than giving a single date, or simply the record early date.
Apr-1 is the first week of April the 1st through the 7th 2 is 8-15 3 is 16-23 4 is 24-31
With very warm weather, some may arrive a week earlier than shown and after a prolonged cold spell, some species will be delayed a week. For many species, only a few might be seen during the week indicated with higher numbers arriving the following week. Generally, very early arrivals are lone birds. A few of the species may winter locally so the date given is for apparent migrants, usually first recorded at Derby Hill.
Sources include arrivals as compiled by Marge Rusk from the 50 years of the “Kingbird” and the 1978 Rice Creek Field Station publication “The Annotated Checklist of Birds of Oswego County and Northern Cayuga County” by Gerald Smith and James Ryan.

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Field TripApril 4, 2015Derby Hill Bird Observatory, 36 Grand View Avenue, Mexico, NY 1
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